Dann is done

Thursday

May 15, 2008 at 12:01 AMMay 15, 2008 at 5:02 PM

In the end, the "culture of corruption" in state government that Marc Dann battled so fiercely to become attorney general consumed him, too. It cost him his job, his reputation and probably his political career.

In the end, the "culture of corruption" in state government that Marc Dann battled so fiercely to become attorney general consumed him, too.

It cost him his job, his reputation and probably his political career.

Dann, a Democrat elected in 2006, resigned yesterday, 51/2 weeks after The Dispatch published the first story about sexual-harassment complaints in his office and hours after Inspector General Thomas P. Charles and a dozen investigators raided attorney general's offices in Columbus and Youngstown. They seized equipment, including the Blackberries of Dann and other top officials, as well as computers and numerous documents.

Authorities are expected to form a multijurisdiction task force to issue subpoenas, interview witnesses and gather evidence in the probe of Dann's operation. The team will be similar to the one that probed wrongdoing in the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation — which led to Dann's attack on the "culture of corruption."

Dann looked pale but spoke in a steady voice as he stood beside Gov. Ted Strickland and announced his immediate resignation at a jammed Statehouse news conference. He had been in office just 17 months.

"My conduct has caused the creation of a firestorm of negative publicity that has reached a point where it is preventing the great professionals in the office from doing their important work," Dann said.

"The only way I can ensure that the great work in the office can continue is to take responsibility by resigning."

Dann rushed out of the news conference in the Governor's Cabinet Room, leaving Strickland alone at the podium, looking stunned. Minutes later, Dann was aboard a plane headed for the Youngstown area, where the 46-year-old's family awaited him.

Strickland, who led the charge in urging Dann to give up his office or face impeachment, said Dann had done "the honorable thing" by resigning.

"Today is a sad day in many ways," Strickland said. "But as I said before, the office of the attorney general is more important than any one person."

Thomas R. Winters, Dann's top assistant, immediately took over as acting attorney general, as dictated by state law, pending an appointment by Strickland. Winters, a veteran lawyer and longtime Columbus political figure, has a resume that includes working for former House Speaker Vernal G. Riffe Jr. and serving as a lobbyist for now-imprisoned coin dealer Thomas W. Noe.

The day was a rumor-filled rollercoaster that picked up speed about 11 a.m. when Charles arrived unannounced at Dann's office in the Rhodes Tower. Within minutes, about a dozen investigators were on the scene and began seizing paper records, desktop and laptop computers, telephones and other electronic devices.

Dann's office computer and his state Blackberry phone were seized, as was his state vehicle, a GMC Suburban.

Simultaneously, investigators directed by the inspector general raided Dann's satellite office in Youngstown.

Shortly after noon, Dann left his office to eat his last meal as attorney general, a sandwich at Due Amici, an Italian restaurant Downtown.

After failing to negotiate the terms of his resignation Tuesday, Dann apparently was "pushed over the edge" by the synchronized raids, sources familiar with the situation said.

Michael S. Harshman, a Youngstown lawyer who was at Dann's side most of the day, said Dann maintained even after his resignation that his conduct in office did not warrant impeachment. But the pressure of continuing investigations and a media sideshow eventually became too much to bear.

"I think it became a family decision for him more than anything," said Harshman, a longtime friend of Dann's.

Harshman, also a pilot, flew Dann back to the Youngstown area, where wife Alyssa Lenhoff, father-in-law Bentley Lenhoff and son Charlie Dann were waiting near the runway.

Dann gave his letter of resignation to Strickland at mid-afternoon, after consulting with his attorneys, Harshman and Sam Shamansky of Columbus..

Dann came under pressure to resign after a May 2 report by two of his office's attorneys described widespread mismanagement, cronyism and tolerance for sexual harassment in his office. That day, Dann also admitted to having an affair with a 28-year-old female staffer, which he acknowledged may have created an atmosphere for harassment.

As a result, Anthony Gutierrez, his chief of general services, and Leo Jennings III, Dann's communications director, were fired and Edgar C. Simpson, his chief of staff, resigned under pressure. All were Dann's friends from Youngstown. The woman who spent nights at Dann's condo also quit, and two other staffers were disciplined.

In addition to the inspector general's investigation, several agencies are conducting probes or audits, including the Ohio Ethics Commission, the Department of Administrative Services, the State Highway Patrol, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and possibly the FBI.

Top Democratic officials demanded that Dann resign or face impeachment, and the state party formally disowned him. House Democrats filed nine articles of impeachment on Tuesday.

After Dann's announcement yesterday, state Rep. Robert F. Hagan, a longtime friend from Youngstown, stood outside the governor's office looking as if he had been hit by one of the trains he engineers when he's not working as a lawmaker.

"This is a devastating blow for Marc Dann and his family," Hagan said, "and it's another black eye for the Mahoning Valley. It just hurts all of us."

With his 23-year-old daughter, Mavilya Chubarova, standing nearby during the news conference, Dann talked about the work he had done in his short time in office, including going after predatory lenders, working to make health care more affordable and aggressively pursuing environmental-protection cases.

"I apologize and accept responsibility for failing to give an administrative backbone worthy of the great legal work being done," Dann said. "I apologize and accept responsibility for not conducting my personal life in a way that is consistent with the important mission of the office."

Strickland said he hasn't considered who he will pick to serve until Ohioans choose a replacement in November, but added that he would start the process immediately. He said the next attorney general should possess "maturity, experience and management ability" and be someone with "great integrity." Dann had asked Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher on Tuesday to try to halt the bill allowing Charles to probe the attorney general's office. Both Senate President Bill M. Harris and House Speaker Jon Husted turned down the entreaty, which the Strickland administration did not support. Harshman said Dann's resignation should ease some of the pressure for Charles to conduct a top-to-bottom investigation.

The two employees who triggered the investigations that led to Dann's downfall by filing sexual-harassment complaints against their boss said they were drained by yesterday's events.

"It hasn't sunk in yet," Vanessa Stout said. "We still didn't get an apology, but now I just want to recover and move on. This turned out to be more than anyone expected it to be."

Cindy Stankoski said she also is "ready to move on, to put this behind me."

"I was just starting a career. I never would have imagined in a million years that this would happen. It's a shame that not only us but many others had to go through this."

The reaction from elected officials was almost universal relief that Dann quit, sparing the legislature from deciding whether his misdeeds merited making him the first statewide official to be impeached.

Husted, R-Kettering, and Harris, R-Ashland, had called for Dann to step down.

"His resignation is long overdue," Husted said. "We can now allow the inspector general's independent investigation — and others — to take their course so integrity and public trust can be restored to the office of the Ohio attorney general."

Harris said: "By tendering his resignation as the attorney general of the state of Ohio, Marc Dann did the right thing. I believe it is essential that the independent investigation currently being conducted by Ohio's inspector general continue in order to begin the process of restoring the public's trust."

Sen. Ray Miller, D-Columbus, called it a "truly sad day in the history of Ohio. While I believe that Attorney General Dann made a wise decision, it is disappointing that the problems revealed in his office in the past few weeks have overshadowed the work Marc did."

Rep. Kevin DeWine, deputy state Republican chairman, said, "This embarrassment is far from over. Marc Dann's resignation is overdue, and the investigation into his mismanagement and corruption must continue."

Fisher, who has known Dann since he was a high-school senior in the Cleveland area 29years ago, served as a sounding board and administration contact for Dann in recent days.

"I think, certainly, the convergence of events over the last 10 days had a cumulative effect on him," Fisher said.

Said Hagan: "I think it came crashing down on him, and he couldn't survive it."